One participant in the recent event talks about her experiences dealing with these issues.
Women are objects. This is the message I have been told my entire life as a young, white female in Ohio. This last week, Ohio University hosted its fall Humans vs. Zombies game, and I participated for every evening mission. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the game immensely, but at a certain point, the community became a bit exhausting.
I'm not against gamers, of any kind. I'm not against having a good time, even if it is a bit nerdy and out of place in context of the general population, but I am against being singled out as the girl in the group, as a sexual target for guys.
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In a male dominated environment, women are often thrown under the bus. I was asked out, not once, but five times this week at HvZ activities and asked for my number innumerable times. I was cat-called, wolf-whistled, hit on, demeaned, patronized, told to take my clothes off and asked for sexual encounters.
The core players — the ones who have been playing for years — did not take part in this activity. The moderators also condemned this behavior, but it did not affect many player's activities.
If a girl can't feel safe playing a game without being sexually harassed, what
message does that send to her, the community and society? We need to fix this attitude and actions, so that future female players can have fun, be safe and not come away from the game feeling like they were just the token female for the community's public relations front. We need to empower female players not just for the future of the game, but for the future of our community and society.
Heather Willard is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University.
